Man in airport security breach ordered held

LOS ANGELES 
A man who allegedly breached airport security and boarded a cross-country Virgin America flight has been ordered to remain in federal custody in Los Angeles.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Wilner said Friday he was hesitant to grant bond to Oluwaseun Noibi based on the circumstances of the case.

Another hearing will be held at a later date regarding whether the man might be released on bond.

Investigators say the 24-year-old boarded a flight in New York last Friday using an expired boarding pass with someone else's name on it. The crew didn't realize an extra passenger was onboard until mid-flight.

After arriving in Los Angeles and spending several days in the city, Noibi was arrested while allegedly trying to board a Delta flight with another expired pass.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Airport and airline security procedures face scrutiny after a Nigerian American man somehow made it through a New York airport federal security checkpoint and boarded a Virgin America jetliner to Los Angeles International Airport using an expired boarding pass.

It wasn't until days later that Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi was arrested after trying to board a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta with another expired pass. He's been charged with being a stowaway aboard an aircraft and is scheduled to make his initial appearance Friday in federal court, the FBI said.

He could face up to five years in prison if convicted, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

Investigators say Noibi, 24, boarded Virgin America Flight 415 at John F. Kennedy International Airport last Friday night. The flight crew didn't realize an extra passenger was onboard until mid-flight when he was spotted sitting in a seat that was supposed to be empty.

In an affidavit, FBI Agent Kevin Hogg said flight attendants asked Noibi for a boarding pass and he presented one that was a day old and had someone else's name on it. He also showed a University of Michigan identification card with his picture on it.

The crew determined that Noibi's name wasn't on the flight manifest.

University of Michigan spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham said Noibi is not a current student but was enrolled as an engineering student at the Ann Arbor university between 2004 and 2006.

Eimiller said Noibi is a U.S. citizen who told investigators he lives in Atlanta.

The boarding pass used in New York belonged to a man who said his pass went missing from his pocket on his way to the airport on June 23 and was issued a new one at the ticket counter. Noibi is suspected of boarding the plane with the expired pass the next day.

Identity checks at airport security checkpoints were put in place as one of many new security measures after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The federal document checkers have basic fraudulent identification training.

"Every passenger that passes through security checkpoints is subject to many layers of security including thorough physical screening at the checkpoint," Transportation Security Administration spokesman Greg Soule said. "TSA's review of this matter indicates that the passenger went through screening."